Largest Diamond Ever Auctioned, Weighing 163 Carats, Sells For $33.7 Million

A necklace with a flawless 163-carat diamond was auctioned off for $33.7 million in Christie's autumn jewel auction in Geneva, Switzerland, making it the largest diamond to ever get auctioned.

The flawless 163.41-carat diamond is suspended from an emerald and diamond necklace called "The Art of de GRISOGONO" or "Creation I." The bidding for it started at £15 million after which it was sold to an anonymous telephone bidder, the Daily Mail reported.

According to Rahul Kadakia, auctioneer and head of Christie’s international jewels division, the auction marked "a new world-record price for a D color diamond at auction."

"D" is the highest color grade that can be attributed to a diamond, and which indicates that the stone not only is completely colorless but is also extremely rare.

Christie’s describes the necklace on its website, "Millions of years beneath the surface of the earth, A sudden moment of discovery, Patient cutting revealing an exceptional gem, Countless hours devoted to crafting a spectacular creation. A masterful demonstration of 'The Art of de GRISOGONO.'"

Know all about "The Art of de GRISOGONO" here.

According to the Daily Mail, the D color 11A type diamond was first cut from a 404-carat rough rock which was discovered in the Lulo mine in the African nation of Angola in February 2016; the rock was then analyzed in Antwerp in Belgium and cut in New York.

The rock was cut by 10 diamond-cutting specialists who were involved in mapping, plotting, cleaving, laser-cutting and polishing the rough rock into a polished diamond.

Reports also state that it was the 27th biggest rough white diamond ever discovered.

The diamond was then used to create 50 different designs, before finalizing on the asymmetric necklace with the diamond as its centerpiece. While the left side of the necklace is made of 18 emerald-cut diamonds, the right side comprises of two rows of pear-shaped emeralds.

However, even after such a satisfying sale, Tobias Kormind, head of 77 Diamonds, a leading independent online diamond jeweler both into the UK and Europe, was disappointed as he expected the necklace to be sold at a much higher value.

"I am disappointed that the 'Art of de Grisogono' didn't sell for a more dazzling price," he said.

Apart from this masterpiece, another gemstone on display during Tuesday's auction was “Le Grand Mazarin”, a 19-carat pink diamond, which was sold for 12.5 million Swiss francs ($12.68 million), demolishing the pre-sale estimate, according to the Hindu.

“Le Grand Mazarin” which is named after Cardinal Mazarin, an Italian cardinal, diplomat, and politician, who served as the chief minister to the kings of France, Louis XIII and Louis XIV, from 1642 until his death.

The diamond is said to have graced the crown of Napoleon I, Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie, among others, the Daily Mail reported. It has also said to be passed through the hands of famous French jeweler Frederic Boucheron and later the Baron von Derwies.

Its sale Tuesday marked the first time that the diamond has appeared at auction in 130 years.

However, reports suggest that the diamond has been auctioned off before in 1887, 17 years after France's Second Empire collapsed, and Napoleon III and his wife Empress Eugenie sought exile in England thus leaving their jewels behind.